Part 9

Tony pulled in a deep breath and let it out slow. "Tell me what to do."

Mansfield pushed away from the counter and brought his hands together. For a moment, Tony was struck with how much the young man looked like a taller, lankier, Palmer.

"I have some things in my truck we can use. It shouldn't take me long to -"

"No." Tony and Mansfield looked in surprise at Vernon when he interrupted. "I'll go." He left for the front door, Mansfield trailing behind.

"You don't know where the truck is."

"You can give me directions. I figure you're somewhere between here and the Hicks' - right?"

The two men ended up face to face at the front door. Vernon grabbed Mansfield's slicker and shrugged into it. Mansfield still argued. "It's at least a mile, Vern - you can't -"

"Oh yes, I can. I was traipsing through these woods when your daddy was still in his diapers sitting on your granddaddy's knee. I know my way around these trees, boy." He finished with the fastenings and reached for the flashlight he'd set on the entrance table. "Besides, you need to stay here and get things set up. Clean sheets are in the hall closet, you'll find some type of disinfectant under the kitchen sink. I don't have much you can use by way of instruments, but since we can't be picky, anything you can find will have to do. I've already unplugged the meter base here at the house, so when you start up the generator, just plug it into the box there by the barn door and you're set."

Mansfield grabbed him when he moved to open the door. "Vernon, wait!"

Instead of pulling away, Vernon pressed his hand over Mansfield's where it gripped his arm and turned his full focus on the young man. "You're best served here, Travis. I can't do this; we both know it. There now, I said it, but I'll deny it to my grave." He smiled briefly and seemed satisfied when Mansfield answered with a trembling smile of his own. "Use the kitchen table - it's big enough for what we need to do. I'll be back as soon as I can. Where did you get stuck?"

"About half way between here and the Hicks. Right where that bend is that drops off to the left."

"I know where that is. Get things ready. I'll hurry." The door shut and he was gone.

Silence held them captive for several heartbeats, then Mansfield took a deep breath and turned to Tony. "We're going to need the electricity turned on first so I can see what I'm doing. You think you can start the generator?"

"Just tell me where it is."

"Out the backdoor and keep on walking. There's an old barn in the pasture, just a little ways from the house where they used to store hay and farming equipment. Generator's on the right as you go in. Plug it into the box there on the wall by the door; that's the connection to the house that will give us juice. It'll be full of gas, and there's extra supplies lined along the wall for when we need it. Get it cranked, then get back here as quick as you can."

Tony nodded. He grabbed the lantern that sat in the front window and without another word, headed for the barn. Absently, he noted that it was still raining, but that it had slackened to a heavy mist. The sooner the weather cleared up the quicker the high water would recede and the roads would be passable; but that also meant their unwanted company could arrive earlier than expected. That thought hit him right between the eyes, just as he entered the barn. Primitive surgery on McGee, with who knew what for anesthesia, two doctors who seemed to hate each other, and three murderers hunting them. The weight of all those worries abruptly sat as heavy as cinderblocks on his shoulders. Tony braced himself against the wall, fighting through the tidal wave of despair that ambushed him. His stubborn and tenacious nature came to his rescue.

Pushing away from the wall, he set the lantern on the ground to get a better view of the generator. It didn't take long to figure out; it was a lot like cranking a lawn mower. Once he had it started and plugged it into the outlet by the door, he retrieved his lantern and was about to leave when he spotted some electrical lights with attached clamps hanging just above his head. Grabbing three and slinging some orange coils of extension cords onto his shoulders, he hurried back to the house. Dark thoughts haunted him, but he pushed them to the back of his mind, concentrating on the task at hand, instead.

He opened the door to a brightly lit kitchen. Clean white cotton sheets covered the long wooden table. Another smaller table had been set at a right angle to the larger one, and it too was covered with a white sheet. A few instruments had been laid out on the smaller table; Tony chose not to study them too closely.

Mansfield walked in, his arms full of bottles, bandages and silver instruments. "Good, you're back." Carefully, he placed everything on the counter by the sink. Tony noticed two big pots on the stove, steam rising from boiling water. "I need you to get your partner ready." He shifted to a chair, grabbed something and handed it to Tony. "Put these on him."

Tony shook out a pair of gray sweat pants.

"Do you need help getting him to the table?"

"No." He held up the lights. "I found these."

Mansfield turned from what he was doing to see. He looked up at the old wrought iron light fixture hanging above the table then back at the lamps Tony held. "That's perfect. Can you put them up there?"

"Yeah." Dumping everything to the floor, Tony quickly located some wall outlets. "Do you know where I might find a staple gun?"

"Barn."

"Oh. Right." Tony left, running back across the yard to the barn. Old tools and supplies were piled and hanging everywhere. A quick search yielded no stapler. He started looking through drawers and in cabinets. Just as he was about to give up and grab a hammer and some nails, he found what he was looking for: a heavy duty staple gun and a box of deep staples to go with it. He ran back to the house.

Mansfield was busy at the sink, so Tony got to work on the lights. It didn't take long to staple the extension cords up the wall, then string them across to the light fixture. He figured he could come back later and help Vernon repair the holes and repaint his kitchen. Clamping the lights to the old fixture took some work, but he managed to get that done, too. He'd spread out an extra sheet over the table to catch any dirt that drifted down while he worked. Finished, he pulled the extra sheet off and threw it in a corner.

Grabbing the sweats from where he'd draped them over a chair, he went to get McGee.